Fox's Cavuto Resuscitates "Death Panel" Myth

Fox's Neil Cavuto dishonestly spun the release of a voluntary health survey to claim that "death panels are back," echoing a fictional claim spread by Sarah Palin about health care reform. In fact, the survey is simply a tool created by researchers that doctors can choose to use as a guideline when discussing treatment options with patients.

Cavuto declared that Sarah Palin "was right" while discussing the survey with Fox News health editor Dr. Manny Alvarez. On-screen text labeled the surveys "new gov't-funded 'death tests.' " Alvarez claimed the tests would lead to elderly patients being denied care and concluded, "Death panel? You're looking at it. This is what they're making me do in the future."

But the survey, a "mortality index," was developed by San Francisco researchers as a tool doctors can voluntarily use to evaluate "whether costly health screenings or medical procedures are worth the risk" for elderly patients, as CBS News reported. CBS News explained:

[D]octors can use the results to help patients understand the pros and cons of such things as rigorous diabetes treatment, colon cancer screening and tests for cervical cancer. Those may not be safe or appropriate for very sick, old people likely to die before cancer ever develops.

Contrary to Alvarez's claim, the index is not compulsory for any doctor or patient.

The New York Times was forced to issue two corrections after relying on Capitol Hill anonymous sourcing for its flawed report on emails from former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The Clinton debacle is the latest example of why the media should be careful when relying on leaks from partisan congressional sources -- this is far from the first time journalists who did have been burned.

Several Fox News figures are attempting to shift partial blame onto Samuel DuBose for his own death at the hands of a Cincinnati police officer during a traffic stop, arguing DuBose should have cooperated with the officer's instructions if he wanted to avoid "danger."

Iowa radio host Steve Deace is frequently interviewed as a political analyst by mainstream media outlets like NPR, MSNBC, and The Hill when they need an insider's perspective on the GOP primary and Iowa political landscape. However, these outlets may not all be aware that Deace gained his insider status in conservative circles by broadcasting full-throated endorsements of extreme right-wing positions on his radio show and writing online columns filled with intolerant views that he never reveals during main stream media appearances.